A Light-Weight Real-Time Privacy Protection Scheme for Video Surveillance by Unmanned Aircraft Systems

Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS)have raised a great concern on privacy recently. A practical method to protect privacy is needed for adopting UAS in civilian airspace. This thesis examines the privacy policies, filtering strategies, existing techniques, then proposes a new method based on encrypted video stream and cloud-based privacy servers. In this scheme, all video surveillance images are initially encrypted, then delivered to a privacy server. The privacy server decrypts the video using the shared key with the camera, and filters the image according to the privacy policy specified for the surveyed region. The sanitized video is delivered to the surveillance operator and anyone on the Internet who is authorized. In a larger system composed of multiple cameras and multiple privacy servers, the keys can be distributed using Kerberos protocol. With this method the privacy policy can be changed on demand in real-time and there is no need for a costly on-board processing unit. By utilizing cloud-based servers, advanced image processing algorithms and new filtering algorithms, this method can be applied immediately without camera software upgrade. This method is cost-efficient and promotes video sharing among multiple subscribers, thus it can spur wider adoption

From My Kitchen Window: Reflections and Essays of a Border Crisis

Memories and encounters of a life long border resident during the ongoing immigration crisis experienced in the Rio Grande Valley from 2017-2020. Thesis includes published essays that featuring interviews with migrants at the Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley Humanitarian Respite Center

Privacy-invading technologies : safeguarding privacy, liberty & security in the 21st century

With a focus on the growing development and deployment of the latest technologies that threaten privacy, the PhD dissertation argues that the US and UK legal frameworks, in their present form, are inadequate to defend privacy and other civil liberties against the intrusive capabilities of body scanners, CCTV microphones and loudspeakers, human-implantable microchips, and other privacy-intrusive technologies. While there are benefits derived from the use of these technologies in terms of public security, for instance, these benefits do not necessarily need to come at the expense of privacy and liberty overall. The interests of privacy, liberty and security can be balanced and safeguarded concurrently. In order to accomplish this worthy objective, new laws must further regulate directly and proactively the design and manufacture of these privacy-intrusive technologies in the first place, rather than only regulate their use or operation. Manufacturer-level rules/regulations should, therefore, require the incorporation of the fundamental privacy principles through what is known as __Privacy by Design__.LEI Universiteit LeidenEffective Protection of Fundamental Rights in a pluralist worl

(Dis)Obedience in Digital Societies: Perspectives on the Power of Algorithms and Data

Algorithms are not to be regarded as a technical structure but as a social phenomenon - they embed themselves, currently still very subtle, into our political and social system. Algorithms shape human behavior on various levels: they influence not only the aesthetic reception of the world but also the well-being and social interaction of their users. They act and intervene in a political and social context. As algorithms influence individual behavior in these social and political situations, their power should be the subject of critical discourse - or even lead to active disobedience and to the need for appropriate tools and methods which can be used to break the algorithmic power

(Dis)Obedience in Digital Societies

Algorithms are not to be regarded as a technical structure but as a social phenomenon - they embed themselves, currently still very subtle, into our political and social system. Algorithms shape human behavior on various levels: they influence not only the aesthetic reception of the world but also the well-being and social interaction of their users. They act and intervene in a political and social context. As algorithms influence individual behavior in these social and political situations, their power should be the subject of critical discourse - or even lead to active disobedience and to the need for appropriate tools and methods which can be used to break the algorithmic power

Military applications of geological engineering

This work examines the premise that military engineering and geological engineering are intellectually paired and overlapped in practice to a significant extent. Geological engineering is an established, albeit young, academic discipline that enjoys wide industry and civil demand and is supported by many professional organizations. In contrast, military engineering is an ancient, empirically derived training or OJT program with practice-based trade-associations that has narrow government-only utility. The premise is formed by decades-long observation of U. S. Army military engineer officers completing a Master of Science degree in geological engineering as a complement to their practice-based training in military engineering at the Captains Career Course of the U.S. Army Engineer School. Almost everywhere has some existing data on the local geology for civil purposes, yet these are ignored, not accessible or not translated to military purposes. A description of the intersection between military and geological engineering is followed by comparison the practice of the geological and military engineer. Research and intellectual development is projected to fill current gaps in military considerations by geological engineers. Finally, steps to share these concepts and convince military engineers to adopt and extend the geological underpinnings of their profession are outlined. This work serves both a personal and professional interest. Previous personal work at the intersection of military scholarship and engineering underlie this premise --Abstract, page iv

Environmental enforcement technology adoption: Marine environment in the Kingdom of Bahrain

This thesis was submitted for the award of Doctor of Philosophy and was awarded by Brunel University LondonResearch Background: Entities responsible for environmental enforcement around the world are facing increasing pressure to deal with the alarming rate of environmental degradation and crime, despite the limited resources available to them. They are continuously searching for technological advancements to enhance their effectiveness and efficiency. This research aims to explore and develop effective technology adoption insights for environmental compliance and enforcement in the Kingdom of Bahrain. Research Gap: Existing technology adoption studies in law enforcement were mainly conducted on criminal law enforcement. Studies conducted on technology adoption of users involved in environmental enforcement were very scarce, especially from the perspective of environmental enforcers. Environmental enforcement was found to be a unique field of law enforcement with unique challenges and characteristics. This gap in the literature gives interest to acquire further knowledge and understanding of the technology use and adoption of users involved in environmental enforcement. Methodology: This study has adapted a qualitative approach with multiple case studies triangulated with onsite observations, documents, and interviews with relevant stakeholders to explore the use and adoption of technology in environmental compliance and enforcement in the Kingdom of Bahrain. Findings: Numerous significant findings were made during the research. The research found that technology use in the field of environmental enforcement in the marine environment in Bahrain has a significant impact on the effectiveness and efficiency of these systems, mainly through providing increased accuracy, speed, cost reduction and transparency. The technologies vary from basic technologies such as GPS to complex integrated systems, the type of technology utilized is mainly driven by the role and task of the organization or individual. The research also finds many aspects of theories from previous studies on technology adoption in the field of law enforcement to be applicable to this research’s field, mainly the M-TAM which is based on the TAM model. The research found that technology adoption in environmental enforcement in the Kingdom is mandatory in nature, in which intent to use the technology has no influence since the user does not have the choice not to use the technology provided. Rather the extent to which the technology is used is influenced mainly by attitude, perceived usefulness, degree of necessity of the use of the technology, and various external factors (management style, cognitive acceptance, and stakeholder environment). Furthermore, the research identified additional unique factors affecting technology adoption in environmental enforcement, mainly the stakeholder’s environment. The study's findings led to the development of a modified model of technology adoption for environmental enforcement. The model illustrates the complex interaction between many factors influencing users' adoption and usage of technology in the field of environmental enforcement in the Kingdom of Bahrain. Implications: The model illustrates the factors that influence technology adoption by users involved in environmental enforcement in the Kingdom of Bahrain. The main contribution of the research and the model is the ability to predict and explain technology adoption of users in the unique field of environmental enforcement. This knowledge is critical for the Kingdom, which has made significant investments in technological solutions across a variety of sectors, including environmental enforcement. Understanding and taking into account the factors influencing technology adoption will increase the likelihood of effective technology being adopted successfully in the Kingdom of Bahrain, resulting in more efficient usage, increased productivity, and ultimately improved performance toward the achievement of goals and targets.Ministry of Interior of the Kingdom of Bahrai

Mobile Robots Navigation

Mobile robots navigation includes different interrelated activities: (i) perception, as obtaining and interpreting sensory information; (ii) exploration, as the strategy that guides the robot to select the next direction to go; (iii) mapping, involving the construction of a spatial representation by using the sensory information perceived; (iv) localization, as the strategy to estimate the robot position within the spatial map; (v) path planning, as the strategy to find a path towards a goal location being optimal or not; and (vi) path execution, where motor actions are determined and adapted to environmental changes. The book addresses those activities by integrating results from the research work of several authors all over the world. Research cases are documented in 32 chapters organized within 7 categories next described